Graduation, here I come

MaryBeth Sargent

I’m sure everyone is sick and tired of hearing all the seniors complain about school, “senioritis” and things we wish we had done. Unfortunately, these things are legit complaints every senior has.

I’m not going to lie. I am pretty gosh darn excited about graduating, but I’m also sad, in a way. I mean, the transition from 13 years of required schooling to taking the classes I want and doing the things I want, whenever I want, is going to be tough.

I have absolutely no regrets about the effort I put into my schooling. I only did a few select activities, but the things I did were time consuming, yet well worth it.

Being totally finished with school is a fact that hasn’t settled in yet. I don’t think it will until graduation, or, even worse, when I leave for Ball State University in Muncie, IN.

I have come to realize, however, that after May 30, nothing will be the same. Once I’m done with school, there’s no going back to the way things currently are. Once I start my first college class, then I’ll truly realize how my life is going to change forever. I hope to make the most of the four years I’ll be spending in college, especially considering how much I’ll be paying for it.

Plus, my favorite show, “Glee,” is having a series of graduation episodes and songs, which are really not helping me come to terms with my inevitable departure. They describe my feelings on point, but the themes define my graduation.

I’m going to be sad to leave the neutral colored walls and boring classes, but it’s nice to think I’ll be heading off to Indiana where the people will, hopefully, be more enthusiastic and the classes more enjoyable.

It’s a shame to think my mandatory education will have basically gone to waste once I begin the classes that will help me achieve my major. Only a few classes truly prepared me for my college major and courses I will be taking here on out. I enjoyed the additional classes, but they have not set me up to continue with the knowledge I learned from them.

I have met some great teachers and classmates that inspired me to choose my college and major. I appreciate the time and effort my teachers put into my education, as well as the extra time they spent helping me understand. It’s going to be tough to say goodbye to the place where the rest of my life began, but I know it’s for the better.

They will always have a place in my memories when I think of the great, and not so great, times in high school that made me who I am today and from here on out.

I’m excited to be done with high school once and for all. Thankfully, I’ll be leaving with great memories and life-long friends. I wouldn’t change my experience or decisions if I had the chance 100 times over.

Hopefully my experiences will positively influence my future, but who knows? Life can take any direction once I leave Hudson High School. With the money I’ll be spending on college, life after high school had better be worth it. So, here it is: my final good-bye to HHS. You will be forever in my memories, as well as my heart.

For the class of 2012: I expect to hear us all sing “We Are the Champions” at graduation. If not, we better do something epic. If I’m going to say good-bye to this place, it had better be memorable.